The present invention generally relates to the medical rehabilitation field. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for fall prevention training using a dynamic perturbation platform to improve the study and research of the biomechanics of trip, slip, and laterally-directed postural disturbances by a person and the step recovery thereof.
It is well known in the medical field that a slip or trip during walking or standing can lead to a fall and be a serious cause of injury. This is particularly problematic for elderly people where such injuries are a leading cause of mortality. It is well known that many of these injuries can be prevented or their severity lessened if the person uses an effective strategy and technique for responding to a fall situation. Therapeutic Interventions can reduce the likelihood of a fall from a disturbance event, such as a trip or slip incident. Exercise and physical training can be used to develop strength, balance and coordination. Also, the person's environment can be changed to remove obstacles and other hazards that can cause a slip or trip. Bars and hand rails can be provided to assist walking and standing. Padded garments can be worn by the person to reduce the injury caused by the slip or fall.
An alternative approach is to study why a person falls and train them to better recover from a slip or trip to avoid a fall by taking a corrective step response. Therefore, the biomechanics of a slip or fall can be studied to better understand clinically effective ways to prevent such falls due to a slip or trip. As part of the study and analysis of disturbance events, including slip and trip incidents, it is highly desirable to be able to monitor a slip or fall incident in a controlled environment to produce data that is usable for effective training to help persons adapt their strategy for responding to a slip or trip incident.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a system that can accurately simulate a slip or tripping incident. There is a need for a system that can measure the biomechanics of a slip or tripping incident to further assist a person to better respond to the incident to avoid a fall. There is a further need for an apparatus that is well-suited to measure such biomechanics. There is a need for an apparatus that can simulate various trip and slip scenarios that could lead to a fall so an appropriate response can be developed. There is a need for an apparatus and system that can better train a person to avoid a fall following a trip or slip incident. Moreover, there is a need for a method for fall prevention training to better prepare a person for a disturbance event, including, a slip, trip or fall, to avoid injury or death.